I had a plumbing problem. I had heard of frozen water lines, but never drains before. So it didn't occur to me that the problem was ice, when my toilet wouldn't flush, I bought a plunger. After a day of the plunger not working I had a much larger job on my hands. I had never dug in the winter before. The ground was, well... icy. It was actually much harder than plain ice to chop. I dug slowly to my drain pipes. It was just a little exploratory surgery. You see, I didn't really know what the problem was yet.

The problem was ice. The septic line was frozen. Just pouring boiling water down the drain for hours did not work. I had to try the other front. I stuck a plastic pipe up the line, until it stopped and started pouring hot water down it. I imagined the water flowing down through the line and exiting into the block of ice. I knew it was working when after a few gallons I was able to push the line in another 3 centimeters, that's and inch and change. After some patience at this, there was the pay off, and water rushed down through the line. I left the hole open in case I need to facilitate another thaw. Another lesson learned.